My Mission
by WhispersOfStarlight
Summary: Twenty-three years after the events of Civil War, a solo mission to the Savage Lands goes awry and Captain America ends up missing. His daughter is desperate to find him and goes to the only person she thinks can bring her father back alive...the former Winter Soldier, James "Bucky' Barnes. He's reluctant to help her and she's too headstrong to take no for an answer.
1. Promises Broken & Missions Made

**A.N: Okay just as a precautionary measure, there may be a tiny bit of spoilers in here for Captain America: Civil War, so if you haven't seen it, you might not want to read this. But if you haven't and you just don't care then read on, my friends.**

 **/ ~ / ~ / ~ /**

The doors to a large expansive lab swished opened, revealing the tall form of Steve Rogers, Captain America. He looked the same as he had when he emerged from the ice save for the touch of gray at his temples.

"What have you got? Any trace of her yet?"

"None yet, Captain, but there is still a large area to be scanned. We are hopeful."

Captain Steve Rogers looked down as his phone began to vibrate.

Looking at the screen, he noticed a text but it was from an anonymous source.

As he read it, his blood ran cold in his veins.

'Come alone. No weapons, No shield. Or your wife dies.'

He quickly texted back.

'Location?'

'Antartica.'

'When?'

'12 hours.'

"Hey dad."

Steve jumped at the voice but smiled when he realized who it was. He turned his phone off and put it in his pocket.

"Hi sweetheart."

Sarah looked at her father, frowning.

"We will find her daddy. Don't worry."

He sighed, before pulling her into a hug.

"I know sweetie. I love you, don't you forget that."

"I love you too dad. Is something wrong?"

He shook his head.

"No, nothing's wrong. Just wanted to you know how much I love you."

She giggled.

"You tell me that every day, Daddy. I love you too."

He gave a kiss to her forehead before turning and walking toward the door.

Sarah was confused. Something wasn't right.

"Daddy, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, sweetheart. I just remembered that I had something to do."

She nodded her head.

"Okay daddy. We are still on for lunch, right?"

He smiled back at her.

"Promise."

The soldier in her panicked at his reply, but the other part, the little girl in her pushed it away with joy.

She smiled and waved at him, turning back to the others in the room.

"Alright, give me all the info you got in the last hour. I want to go over all of it myself."

Steve walked down the halls of the Wakandian base he had called home for the last 23 years, stopping in front of a large expansive window looking out at the large Panther statue in the background.

He pulled his phone out and paused for a moment looking back over the previous texts.

The Captain looked up from the phone for a moment and suddenly realized where he was.

He put the phone back in his pocket, staring at the window in front of him before turning and entering the code that allowed him access to the room behind him.

He walked up to the container in the middle of the space and wiped the condensation from the glass to reveal the frozen features of his life-long friend, Bucky Barnes.

He placed a hand on the cleared glass and spoke.

"So much has happened since you've been put under, Bucky. So much has changed."

He sighed.

"Sharon was kidnapped, Buck and I have to go get her back. I don't know what will happen, but I tried to keep my promise, Bucky. I tried to fix you, but-"

He smacked the glass with a closed fist, careful not to crack it, before pressing his forehead against the pod.

"Damn it, Bucky. We both went through hell, didn't we?"

He sighed again.

"Sarah will look after you now. I know she will. She's a good kid. A bit head-strong at times, though."

He chuckled.

"Now I know how you must have felt dealing with me picking fights all the time."

He moved to exit the room but stopped at the door and looked back at the frozen face of his friend and brother.

"I was with you 'til the end of the line, Bucky. I hope you know that."

He opened his mouth to say something else, but closed his mouth with a nod and closed the door behind him.

He pulled the phone out one more time and typed a reply.

'On my way.'

He softly whispered to the walls of the empty corridor.

"I'm so sorry, Sarah."

/ ~ / ~ / ~ /

Sarah sat there at the cafe table with a smile on her face. She scanned the room quickly before the bell ringing at the door grabbed her attention.

She smiled wider, thinking her father had finally arrived but frowned when she realized that it wasn't her father but Princess Shuri instead.

A sense of dread hit her then.

Something was wrong.

"Little one, we need to go."

"But my dad is-"

"Your father took a stealth plane. He is no longer in Wakanda, Sarah."

The panic hit her full force then.

"Where did he go?"

"After your mother, of course. We will discuss this further when we are back at the base."

"Where?"

Shuri shook her head.

"Not here. We will discuss this back home."

Sarah stood her ground, crossing her arms and locking eyes with the princess.

"Where?"

Shuri sighed.

"Antarctica. We think that may be where your mother is."

It was as if Sarah was disconnected from the world as Shuri helped lead her to the vehicle outside.

'Why daddy?'

/ ~ / ~ / ~ /

The tracking device implanted in the stealth wing had started malfunctioning just over Antarctica.

The Savage Lands to be more specific.

Sarah made up her mind then and there.

She was going after them.

T'Challa didn't agree with her or with who she chose to take with her.

"No! I will not allow it. The Savage Lands are far too dangerous for you. Surely you understand that?"

"King T'Challa, please? Shuri once told me that she had felt compelled to train me how to survive in a jungle. Perhaps this was the reason why?"

"That may be so, but I cannot allow Barnes to be woken up."

Sarah ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

"Sergeant Barnes knows my father better than anyone else alive, T'Challa. And its an added bonus that he is so highly skilled. This needs to be a two man team and who better to go with me than him."

The once Black Panther shook his head.

"It is not a good idea, Ms. Rogers. His mind is still unstable. If Ms. Maximoff had not have passed when she did, than we might have been able to remove the trigger words. I cannot take the chance that he could fall under Hydra's control again."

Sarah stood straight and looked him in the eyes, looking very much like her father in that moment.

"Then let me take that chance. My father had faith in him and so do I. You can hold me personally responsible for whatever happens, if anything happens at all. I wouldn't expect any special treatment, but I am desperate to get my mom and dad back, King T'Challa. Please?"

T'Challa was torn by her words. Captain Rogers was a close friend and he wanted very much to find him alive as well, but to go to the extent Sarah was willing to go?

He sighed.

"Very well, Sarah. I will allow Sergeant Barnes to be taken out of cryostasis."

Sarah smiled widely.

"Thank you! You won't regret this, King T'Challa. I will keep a close eye on him. I promise you that."

He help up a hand to stop her happy rant.

"He will be released but on one condition though. Once Captain Rogers and his wife are found, no matter the outcome, Barnes goes back into cryostasis."

She frowned, thinking about his words.

'Could I do that, bring him out and then have him put back under after all is said and done?'

For her parents, she would do anything.

"You got a deal."

/ ~ / ~ / ~ /

"Initializing procedure. Do you wish to proceed with the cryostasis reversal process?"

The computer asked.

T'Challa nodded.

"Begin the reversal procedure."

The ice surrounding the stasis pod cracked and then steam hissed as the ice slowly began to melt.

Sarah watched through the two way glass as the dark haired man that her father spoke so highly of was brought slowly back to the world. He looked to be her age, but Sarah knew better. Although he looked young he was actually as old as her dad.

It still didn't keep her cheeks from turning pink as the bare expanse of his chest was exposed.

'Damn.'

"You know you shouldn't stare so much. You could burn a hole through the glass and then he would see you."

She jumped, turning sharply at the voice.

"T'Chaka, you need to make noise or something when you are behind someone. That wasn't funny. You scared the hell out of me."

She turned back to the window and found him staring at the window, his head tilted and his brow furrowed as if he could see her.

Sarah shook her head of that notion. It was a two way mirror, of course he couldn't see her. Right?

"How long will it be before he's up and about?"

"He will be confused and very disorientated at first, but he was in perfect health when they put him under. He should be able to get up and go in three hours."

Sarah rounded on him.

"Three hours! We don't have that time, T'Chaka. We need to be geared up and ready to move out in an hour."

"Hour?!"

She nodded.

"I am done wasting time waiting while the window to find both my parents, ALIVE, is growing smaller and smaller."

"I don't know. Sergeant Barnes was under cryo for 23 years. He might not be up for it."

"Let me talk to him then."

"No. My father doesn't want to put you in harm's way."

Sarah chuckled.

"I'm Captain America's daughter. I'm always in harm's way, T'Chaka."

The young man chuckled at her words before nodding in agreement.

"Very well, but if my father asks, this was all your idea."

"Ten-four."

To say Bucky was confused was an understatement. One second he was dreaming of silence and darkness and the next his eyes were flooded with light and he was suddenly very awake and very cold.

The medical personnel around gave off the vibe of helpful but hesitant and guarded.

Which was understandable.

He was a ticking time bomb just waiting for the right words, the right trigger, and he would explode.

Again.

He laid back in the bed as the scientists worked to attach a new vibranium arm to his shoulder when the sensation of eyes watching him caused him to look around the room, settling on the mirror right across the room.

He tilted his head and studied the glass. There were no visible gaps between the wall and the mirror.

'Of course, two way glass, it has to be. But who's on the other side?"

His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the lab opened and revealed the small, curvy figure of a young woman.

Bucky's eyes widened before narrowing into slits.

She was pretty with dirty blonde hair cut short and pale creamy looking skin.

Bucky shook his head internally.

'Definitely been under too long.'

"Sergeant Barnes?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Not a sergeant anymore, kid. Haven't been for a long time."

She snorted.

"Ninety-three years to be exact."

He looked at her shocked.

"What? How long?"

She looked at him with shock as well.

"T-they didn't tell you?"

"They haven't spoken a word to me. Nobody usually does. I don't blame them."

"You've been in cryostasis for 23 years, Sergeant Barnes."

"Bucky."

Sarah opened her mouth and quickly shut it.

He smirked at her.

"You can call me Bucky. Everyone does."

"I-I know. I didn't think you-"

"I don't mind doll."

Bucky's eyes went wide at his own words.

It had been a long time since he had called a girl 'doll' but in a way it felt right. She definitely looked like a doll.

Her cheeks turned pink before she shook her head and leveled a emotionless gaze at him.

"I didn't come here to be flirted with, Barnes. There was another reason you were pulled out of the ice."

His back straightened at her gaze and words.

"And just what is that?"

"To rescue my mom and dad."

"What?"

"Thirteen hours ago, we lost contact with my father. He was on a mission to rescue my mom. He was contacted privately and told to meet them at an undisclosed location alone, and without weapons or they would kill my mother."

Bucky scoffed, "So he went and got himself caught."

"Yes."

"Why me? Why pull me out of cryo for some rescue mission."

"This isn't 'some' rescue mission, Barnes! Not when Captain America is involved."

Bucky stilled at her words.

"Cap is missing?"

She nodded.

'Wait a second..'

Bucky was confused.

"Wait, you said your parents were missing, but you also said Captain America is missing too. Was he the one looking for them?"

She chuckled.

"Sergea-er..Bucky. My name is Sarah Margaret Rogers. I'm Cap's daughter."

And with those words, Bucky was struck silent.

'Steve's daughter!?'

His eyes narrowed and he studied her closely and he could see tiny similarities between his friend and her.

They carried themselves the same way, moved their hands when they talked, even stood in the same stance, although he would admit she looked cuter when doing it.

Things suddenly got more interesting.

He gave a strained smile.

"Where did you lose contact with him?"

"His last known location was Antarctica. The Savage Lands to be exact."

"Sounds dangerous."

She gave a nod.

"Yes, but King T'Challa has friends there. A man named Ka-zar will be leading us through the area."

Bucky nodded but caught the tail end of her sentence.

"Wait, 'us'?"

He motioned between them before pointing at her.

"You...are not going."

She crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Yes I am. I was told to keep a close eye on you. I can't do that from here, now can I?"

"I don't think your dad would want you to go. It sounds too dangerous for you."

She scoffed at his words walking over to him and nodded to the scientist working on his arm.

They smiled and turned, pressing a button on the table. A small area in the ceiling opened up and a training dummy lowered down in front of Sarah.

"I may be small, Bucky, but I'm too much like my dad."

With that, she punched the dummy and sent it flying across the room where it crumpled to a heap of broken metal and wire.

Bucky wasn't sold yet on her going.

Yeah, she was strong, he would give her that, but could she handle a wild jungle where everything was going to be trying to kill and possibly eat her?

He opened his mouth, but she held up a hand, silencing him.

"If your next question is about survival, don't bother. I grew up here in Wakanda. King T'Challa and his sister, Shuri saw to my training personally. That was one of the reasons he agreed to me going in the first place."

He closed his mouth.

'Well that settled it.'

He stood to his feet, rotating his metal arm to get used to the weight of it.

"Well, I guess I have no other choice then, huh?"

She smiled brightly at him.

The air in the room suddenly felt too warm.

She really was beautiful, especially when she smiled like that.

"Then get something to eat and gear up. We leave in an hour."


	2. Making Plans & Musings

When Sarah exited the room, Shuri was there, her arms crossed and a angry look on her face.

"So you are using my words against me child?"

"I have to find my parents, Shuri. I'm sorry."

A hand touched her shoulder.

"Do not worry child. I am only angry that I did not see this strength sooner. Now come with me."

"Why?"

"This is technically your first field mission, so you need the right uniform."

Sarah didn't like that scheming look in her eye. It usually meant three more laps of running or 10 more minutes of CQC training. This time, it was the unknown that scared her. What did she have planned?

/ ~ / ~ / ~ /

When Bucky walked into the Hanger, he was immediately scanning for Sarah, but couldn't find her, but he saw a woman in black with dirty blonde hair so he approached her.

It wasn't until he got closer that he realized that it was Sarah and she was wearing a skin-tight outfit similar to Black Widow's but there was a large red star in the middle of her chest.

He swallowed hard.

She noticed Bucky and waved him over.

"Did you pack all the gear you're going to need?"

He lifted the duffel bag he was carrying.

"Yeah, did you?"

Sarah pointed to a large duffel bag a few feet away.

"Two changes of clothes, field rations, medical supplies, rope, flint, and waterproof matches. Also 20 knives and three guns."

He was impressed but as he scanned her over he could hardly make out the amount of knives she said.

"Twenty knives? How did you-"

"A woman's gotta have some secrets, right?"

He shook his head with a smile.

"Just how are we getting to Antarctica?"

"That will be easy enough. The stealth planes that the Wakandians created can travel a long distance in a short period of time. It will take about two, maybe three hours for us to get there."

"Stealth wing?"

He turned to follow the direction she pointed in. The plane he saw was sleek and looked fast. Okay, so mode of transportation: check.

"So what will happen when we get there?"

Sarah squared his shoulders and motioned him over to a large screen near the hangar door.

It was a map.

She pointed to a pulsing line, "This is our trajectory. Once we reach the border of The Savage Lands, we will hike in 2.5 klicks and rendevouz with a man named Ka'zar. He grew up in The Savage Lands, so he will be our guide and help us track Dad down."

He was impressed again.

'She's definitely Steve's daughter.'

"You have everything planned out don't you?"

She shook her head.

"Not everything. I can't plan for the unknown, Bucky. I only have a plan for until we meet up with Ka'zar, even before then, a multitude of things could still go wrong. We will just have to see."

He snorted.

"You mean 'wing' it?"

She blushed.

"Well, yeah. Didn't dad do that half the time, though?"

He opened his mouth and shut it just as quickly.

The former assassin chuckled before swinging the duffel over his shoulder and headed towards the plane. As he did, he bent low to her ear and whispered as he passed her.

"Then let's go...Cap."

A part of Bucky felt panic at his actions. Come on this was Steve's daughter, his best friend's daughter!

But another part couldn't help but be pleased at the way her cheeks turned pink.

Sarah just gaped at him as he passed. 'Did he just...'

"Not without something first."

The voice made both of them stop and turn to watch T'Challa approach them carrying a large round object covered in cloth.

He stopped in front of Sarah and smiled softly at her.

"I think your father would want you to use this."

Sarah slowly unwrapped the round object and gasped when she realized what it was.

Her father's shield.

Her fingers tentatively traced the scorch marks and claw tracks.

She looked up at T'Challa in shock.

"But, why?"

"You are the captain's daughter. You needed a weapon that represented that. What better one than his shield?"

Sarah's voice was thick with emotion when she replied.

"I will bring him back, T'Challa. Both of them."

When she turned to face Bucky, the former assassin smiled sadly at her.

"We're going to get them back, Sarah. I promise you that."

She smiled back.

"Then let's get going."

/ ~ / ~ / ~ /

T'Challa watched them board the small plane with the strange feeling that something big was going to happen.

"May the goddess Bast protect her and may the goddess Sekhmet grant her strength."

Shuri stepped up beside him and nodded.

"The goddess has laid this path before her, my brother. It is up to her now."

The King of Wakanda turned to his sister.

"So it is true. What she spoke of? That you were compelled to train her?"

"The duality of the goddess speaks in her. She is woman and warrior. Both gentleness and strength. Mercy and ruthlessness."

T'Challa snorted at the last word.

"Ruthless? Sarah? She is too kind to be as such, my sister."

"That is her true test, then. To embrace the duality within herself. That man will help her."

T'Challa shook his head.

"That man is damaged. He will be of no help to her if he loses himself and kills her."

Shuri smiled knowingly at her brother before lifting her eyes to watch the small plane as it ascended into the sky.

"Then we shall see, my brother, we shall see."


	3. A Little Faith

There was a tentative silence between the two as the plane lifted in the air.

Sarah looked over at him but when he turned she quickly looked back at the console.

Bucky was lost in his own thoughts. He was still unsure about going along on this mission.

Yeah, he would do anything for Steve, but he was worried about losing control again.

He looked down at his hands.

He had so much blood on his hands already, he didn't want to add hers to the list. He would never be able to look Steve in the eye again if anything happened to her.

He jumped when a hand touched his arm, his eyes quickly flicking over to meet hers.

"Hey, you okay?"

She sounded concerned.

He looked back down at his hands, curling and uncurling them into fists.

"Why me?"

"What?"

He locked eyes with her again.

"Why did you pull me out of cryo? Do you know how dangerous I am? How dangerous I can be? All that would have to happen is for someone to say those damned words and then-"

"It won't happen."

"How can you be so sure? You don't know half the things Hydra did to me."

She shook her head.

"No I don't."

Sarah smiled softly at him before leaning over and clicking a few buttons and turning on the auto-pilot.

She then turned to him fully.

"You want to know why I choose you?"

He nodded.

"Because my dad would have."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a hand.

"I remember my dad telling me about you two growing up, about you always protecting him, hell, he even told me about the war against Hydra and all the missions you did together. You always had each others backs. He even told me that he wouldn't have even joined if he hadn't wanted to be there fighting alongside you. Then he told me about when SHIELD fell, how even when you didn't know him, you still saved his life. Then of course the whole mess with the Sokovia Accords. I don't know you personally, Bucky, but from what my dad has told me, I know you are the right one to help me find him. He still has so much faith in you after all this time, why can't you have a little for yourself."

To say that he was stunned was an understatement.

'Faith in myself, huh?'

He couldn't help but look at her with awe.

She was definitely one of a kind.

/ ~ / ~ /

Bucky hadn't realized he fell asleep until her voice brought him to consciousness.

"We'll be reaching the target area in e.t.a. 5 minutes."

"Got it."

Suddenly red lights began flashing as the proximity alarms blared to life.

She went white as a sheet and shook her head furiously.

"We've been spotted! How the hell did we get spotted?!"

Bucky didn't answer her. He instead climbed into the co-pilot chair and strapped himself in. He clicked a few buttons on the console and took ahold of the controls.

"Strap in and hold on!"

Sarah nodded, quickly fastening the straps in her chair and leaning over to turn the radar system on.

"We have three bogeys inbound. AA guns on the ground!"

He gritted his teeth.

"Taking evasive measures!"

She grabbed the armrests as he jerked the controls, tipping the plane down and rolling it to the side to dodge one of the rockets, that then exploded, jolting them in their seats.

"That was too close!"

Sarah flipped a switch close to her. "Deploying flak screen!"

Bucky again jerked the controls, causing two more rockets to enter the flak screen and crash into each other.

The alarms continued blare in their ears.

She took a quick look at the radar and yelled.

"They just launched a fourth rocket!"

Sarah turned to him with wide eyes.

"It's a heat seeker!"

"Damn it!"

"Flak screen?"

"All out!"

'Damn!'

Sarah stilled and gave him a quick look before undoing her straps and climbing in the back when Bucky shook his head.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

"I've got an idea!"

"What idea, suicide?"

She snorted as she rummaged in the back, pulling her bag out of storage. "Not quite!"

She zipped it open and tossed a few things in before flicking a lighter to life and tossing it in, setting the bag on fire.

Bucky glanced back at the smell of smoke and gave a smirk.

She was either crazy or a genius.

She stood up and slammed a fist into the hatch controls.

"Well, here goes nothing!"

She stated, tossing the bag out the open hatch.

The bag fell in the open air and just when it didn't seem like the rocket would turn, it did and the rocket exploded as it came in contact with it. But it was too close and Sarah went flying backwards into the plane, slamming into the wall and slumping to the floor.

Everything was muffled except for his voice yelling her name.

"Sarah!"

Then everything went dark.


End file.
